Tune of the Day: The Valley Near Slievenamon
Slievenamon (“Mountain of the Women”) is a 2,365 ft tall mountain in south County Tipperary, Ireland. The mountain is said to have derived its name from the ancient fairy women or Feimhin, who enchanted a warrior named Fionn mac Cumhaill and his followers.
In his 1922 collection Waifs and Strays of Gaelic Melody, Francis O'Neill writes: “This fine air which runs to the unusual number of 14 bars in each part was sent me by a Dublin friend, Mr. M. Flanagan, a distinguished linguist and scholar. In his leisure moments, he enjoys the music of his fiddle, and union pipes, being a skillful performer on both instruments. [...] Whether suitable to the meter of the melody or not, Mr. Flanagan's charming verses will be no less appreciated than his music.”
Alone all alone by the wave washed strand
All alone in a crowded hall
The hall it is gay and the waves they are grand
But my heart is not here at all
It flies far away by night and by day
To the times and the joys that are gone
And I never will forget the sweet maiden I met
In the valley near Slievenamon.